Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Weekly Share: Other JCrew-like Retailers

This is the weekly "Other JCrew-like Retailers" post (similar to the "Off On A Tangent"
posts), where we can share our finds from other
retailers that have offerings similar to J.Crew
(like Anthropologie, LE Canvas, Gap, BR, Talbots, Ann
Taylor, and the like.)

If you
have recently encountered items that are similar to
J.Crew, maybe you might be
willing to share that information with us
in this post.

Please feel
free to share your story on almost any topic—
including experiences with certain merchandise pieces,
promotions/ offers, in-store visits,
transactions with store associates, etc.

kind of OT but i thought THIS was a great article on Petra Langerova, who is the head designed of Everlane. she talks about her experience working at J. Crew in 2007-2009:"After Tommy I went to J.Crew, which was fantastic, mostly because it was extremely like working for a small business again, the way the company was managed. We were one of the few companies that still worked with small Italian mills, so we were able to create all these fabulous fabrics from scratch, creating luxury goods at a democratic price. It definitely created a breeding ground for creativity, people were very excited about it, they lived and breathed it. I worked in women's wovens, handling dresses, separates, doing a capsule woven collection, all the novelty skirts and pants and all of the suiting, novelty jackets.

[J.Crew CEO] Mickey Drexler, he was one of my biggest mentors, even though he wasn't a fashion designer, he's a merchant that understands product, really the genius that made J.Crew so desirable. Overall, it was a very great experience. I think when I got there we hit the peak, but it went a little bit over the top, really a bit too exclusive and maybe not as understandable for everyone. A lot of companies caught up to J.Crew's design and started copying it; when I was leaving, there were slight shifts, trying to rebrand. J.Crew's success was its own detriment, how many people wanted to copy that success."

Forgive my vent, but I felt I needed to warn you all about shopping with COS (cosstores.com). I really like their clothes, and placed my second-ever order last week. I didn't receive an order confirmation or a shipping notification. When I thought to check on the order on their website this morning, I saw it was to be delivered today. Unfortunately, Fed Ex dropped the package on my driveway, and my dog had destroyed the clothes. When I went to the COS website to see about ordering replacement items, I noticed my customer history showed two recent orders. They had shipped two of the same order, and my dog had destroyed both. They refuse to take ANY responsibility for sending a duplicate order, so I have no clothes and double the charge on my credit card. BUYER BEWARE. I will say it makes me appreciate stores like J Crew that provide good customer service even more. Rant over-thanks for reading :)

Well, you have to love it when a company (even eventually, with a little effort) steps up. After learning my cc company (go Chase!) would cover damaged items I had purchased with my card, I told COS never mind on the request to escalate the claim. In the meantime, it had reached management in the UK, who credited both orders and offered an apology discount. They were far more generous than I asked for or expected, and I'm appreciative. Thought it was worth sharing-sorry for the ramble :)

i have a 227$ lululemon gift card i'm looking to unload.. I returned something and nothing appeals to me there right now. Will accept any reasonable offer and mail it anywhere in Canada. email me at ellen dot eamon at gmail.

Dear J.Crew Aficionadas & Aficionados: Please feel free (and encouraged) to share your thoughts and opinions. :) However, please note that this is still a personal blog. So comments that are considered inappropriate (e.g. obscene, racist, homophobic, personal attacks, rude, and just plain mean) will be removed.

Incidentals

The following blog is just a forum for people to express their thoughts and opinions about J.Crew. Also, please note that most (if not all) of the images come from J.Crew's website and/ or catalog. Lastly, J.Crew is *not* affiliated with this site. :)